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I want to use a brushed varnish finish on a 000 12 fret build. No facility to spray and want something a bit more "protective" than FP.

Behlen's Rockhard seems to have disappeared from the market and there are no Pratt and Lambert [#38] dealers in my area.

I am an old wooden boat owner and Epiphanes has always been my preference for brightwork [done more of that than I care to remember].

Does anyone have any experience using "spar" varnish for an instrument? And / Or general reasons to use or Not to use this particular product.

FWIW I have filled and leveled with shellac and pumice.

Thanks

Mike

I personally feel that outdoor or spar varnishes are to soft for instruments. I would recommend Behlens Violin varnish or if you wanted a urethane based varnish possibly Behlens Rock hard .

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Mike: Lots of folks using Epiphanes varnish. Not sure grade or number. Try a search on Laurent Brondel for finish schedule. He does a super job with it.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Tom, Waddy directed me to the same builder [posted on two forums] and Laurent's finishes are beautiful.

I'll have to experiment with thinning on some scrap. The upside is I have been brushing this stuff on boat brightwork for years with great success so the "transferred learning curve" shouldn't be too steep.

I'm actually pretty excited.... I've done a fair amount of FP but an aging rotator cuff has me looking for alternative "old school" finishes. If I can pull off anything close to Laruent's finishes I'm going to be a happy guy.

MJ

I use Epiphanes varnish(I tried at least 2, if not 3 ,versions and all worked well), as does at least one well known and highly regarded high end "factory" for their "varnish finish" option.

You'll do fine, especially seeing as you have prior experience with it.

Mario - may I ask which "factory" you refer to? Not important, just curious.

Epiphanes is my varnish of choice as well. I've used it on guitars and have been happy with it. It is soft to start but hardens nicely over time. I use an awful lot of it on my canoes and paddles, too.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

may I ask which "factory" you refer to

No you can't... Please understand that that is privileged information that I was trusted with.

No worries Mario. I understand.